Two overdue boaters located safely

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Two overdue boaters have been found safe approximately 9 miles west of Clearwater Pass at about 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Daniel Johnson, 31, and Bobby Redmond, 29, were able to signal a passing good Samaritan to call Redmond’s family, after their boat’s battery had died Thursday night.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., were notified at approximately 6 a.m. Friday from Johnson’s wife, reporting that they had not returned by midnight as expected.

“This case is a perfect example of why safe boating practices are so important,” said Lt. Cmdr. Flavio Baltazar, Command Duty Officer at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. “Multiple layers of communication not reliant on the vessel’s battery such as hand-held radios, flares, signaling mirrors and emergency position indicating radio beacons give boaters an additional means of communicating distress in adverse situations.”

The Coast Guard also recommends filing a written float plan with a family or friend and attending a Coast Guard Auxiliary safe boating course.